Bridging the Gap Between Game Meat and Wildlife Management – CIC Young Opinion Event in Dortmund
Photo credit: Robin Maas
Game meat and wildlife management came together on June 7th in Dortmund, Germany as part of a special showcase event organised by the CIC Young Opinion German Delegation.
As the common denominator linking hunting, social media and public relations, game meat can serve as a vital “icebreaker” introducing new audiences to concepts related to sustainable use and hunting itself.
This was the inspiration behind the creation of this event, which was organised jointly together with Philip Karbus of WILDLING Events who specialises in imparting knowledge on professional game meat processing for the purpose of public relations, Messe Dortmund and the State Hunting Association of North Rhine-Westphalia
The hybrid event sought to bridge the theoretical concepts behind wildlife management together with live cooking demonstrations of game meat, showcasing a mixture of traditional and modern dishes prepared by Florian Conzen – a professional game meat caterer – as part of a five-course menu.
Each unique game meat course was accompanied by keynote speeches from notable individuals working on a broad spectrum of hunting issues, representing a variety of stakeholders involved in the sector.
The CIC and FACE were among the NGOs represented at the event with Stephan Wunderlich, Policy and Communications Coordinator at the CIC, talking about his work giving a platform to underrepresented voices in the international discourse surrounding conservation.
Tristan Breijer, Policy Advisor at FACE, also provided an overview of key policy areas in Europe for hunters, particularly within the context of the recent European elections.
Providing the perspective of industry was Jan Hüffmeier, CEO of GT Outdoors (Geartester) and the Huntivity Group, with the latter uniting hunting and outdoor business brands, creating a strong group of modern outdoor companies with various business models.
Similarly, attendees were given a possible glimpse into the future of hunting operations with the presentation by Serena Bouwer from The Eco Hunter, whose core business is built on emphasising sustainability and free-ranging game species when arranging trips abroad, particularly to Africa.
Talking about the importance of effective communications was Tobias Westen, a photographer and content creator in the hunting industry that has worked with notable brands such as Swarovski Optik. In particular, he touched on his personal perspective working in the media, as well as the key messages and principles required to communicate hunting to broader audiences.
The success of the event highlights the importance of game meat both as a way to bring together the sustainable use community and to introduce the topic of wild foods to people in an accessible – and delicious – fashion.
The creation of the CIC World Game Cookbook (2021), a collection of 207 game recipes from 66 different countries and regions, reflects the CIC’s commitment to support game meat in recent years.
On the road ahead, there will be a need to focus on game beyond its properties as a nutritious food source, such as exploring the impact of wild harvest as a tool for research and to support Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).
